Soil matters in botany… And it matters even more in ministry. At least, that’s what Jesus believes… 🙂
Consider the mysterious circumstances leading to the death of our new Fiddle-Leaf Fig Tree, murdered in the prime of its life…
- I transported this beautiful little tree to our home, bought from a reputable nursery, who told us to expect minor leaf-loss…
- Once in its perfect place in our home, the tree started dropping leaves at a shocking rate—was it already outgrowing its pot?
- So I replanted our new addition to the family in a larger pot, but not as large as, well, my wife strongly advocated…
- With the tree still in declining health, I added soil from a backyard vegetable garden to the pot—it was not the potting soil that, well, my wife strongly suggested…
- I moved the tree to new location for more light, which only accelerated the pace of denuding…
- So I moved the tree back to the old location, under a strict moisture-monitoring program…
- Soon, the moisture monitoring was no longer necessary, because the Fiddle-Leaf Fig Tree was dead.
Botanicals are like babies—they die if they don’t get the care they need. This is why Jesus prefers botanical metaphors in his teaching—he wants us to focus on how plants grow (and die), because growing things are a metaphor for the way we grow…
In his “Parable of the Soils” (Luke 8:4-8), Jesus highlights three toxic soils that kill plants and one that’s like Miracle Gro. Toxic Soil #1: When we hear truth but don’t experience it. Toxic Soil #2: When we focus on principles of truth instead of the Person of Truth. Toxic Soil #3: When our pursuit of the promises embedded in the “American Dream” overshadows our pursuit of Jesus. Rich Soil #4: When we prepare the “growth ecosystem” with rich prompts for transformation—emphasizing honesty and vulnerability and the relational pursuit of Jesus’ heart.
To sum up, the dirt in our ministry ecosystem is characterized by experienced truths, the pursuit of relational intimacy with Jesus over Christian-living tips-and-techniques, the elevation of wonder and beauty over circumstantial happiness, and a standard of authenticity for everything we say and do. Here’s my shorthand way of framing what this looks like in relational ministry settings…
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DO this… |
Not that… |
And here’s why… |
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Ask highly engaging questions… |
Not one-word-answer questions, or obvious-answer questions… |
An “inquiry based” teaching strategy maximizes engaging and thoughtful questions that require intentionality to answer—because Jesus used great question-asking as a primary way to help his followers engage and grow. |
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DO this… |
Not that… |
And here’s why… |
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Respect the intelligence and capabilities of everyone in the group, gathering, or congregation… |
Not a dumbed-down, over-simplified approach that depends on only one smart leader. |
Create an environment that provokes thought and sparks real conversations–this shows people how to love Jesus with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength. And conversation gives us a surprising fruit—we know the hearts of people in the context of our teaching/learning environment, not just during the coffee and donuts time before or after service. |
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DO this… |
Not that… |
And here’s why… |
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Emphasize deeper transformation… |
Not rote head knowledge. |
Go after the heart, not just the head. Real relationships—with Jesus and with others—lead to real growth in life. We stop using information dumps that masquerade as learning. |
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DO this… |
Not that… |
And here’s why… |
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Emphasize discovery… |
Not passive acceptance of whatever the teacher/leader is delivering. |
We prod people to make their own discoveries and more deeply “own” their life with Jesus, because no one really grows just because they’re told they should believe something. Discovery produces the fruit of long-lasting impact. |
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DO this… |
Not that… |
And here’s why… |
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Sprinkle in experiences that are “debriefed” through conversation… |
Not just the teacher/leader talking. |
Jesus used experiences, all the time, to teach—because he knew that an experience stays with you way longer than a “propositional truth.” The surprising fruit: people actually remember what they’re learning! |
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DO This… |
Not that… |
And here’s why… |
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Emphasize knowing… |
Not knowing about. |
We help people move from knowing facts and figures about God and the truths of his kingdom, to knowing Him, and those truths, intimately. God becomes real to them, not a concept. |
Yes, we often forget that we aren’t responsible for the growth that results from our ministry efforts—Jesus alone brings growth. But we also forget that we have a key role in His mission of transformation in the lives of our people. We help mix the soil of their growth ecosystem. And that means… dirt matters.
Rick Lawrence is Executive Director of Vibrant Faith—he created the new curriculum Following Jesus. He’s editor of the Jesus-Centered Bible and author of 40 books, including his new release Editing Jesus: Confronting the Distorted Faith of the American Church, The Suicide Solution, The Jesus-Centered Life and Jesus-Centered Daily. He hosts the podcast Paying Ridiculous Attention to Jesus.
